Jane Paisley is curled up against her father’s side, her small head resting on his chest, rising and falling with his low, steady breaths. I must not have been very attentive when I poked my head into the nursery, but then again it can be hard to make out one pup from another when they sleep in a cuddle pile. Not to mention my entire being is currently consumed by flames.Backing away, I pull the door shut with a gentle click. There is only one power on earth that could overpower the base animal instincts of my heat, and that is the maternal drive to put my pup’s needs above my own. Slinking away down the hall, I try to figure out what to do with myself. I’ve never gone through a heat alone. It’s only ever come on around Ethan, and even after I became his slave, only he could give me comfort.My wolf needed to be bred – by him and no one else. If there was another Alpha alive whom my wolf would accept, I’ve never met him. Maybe I can make it through to the morning if I take a sleepin
EthanJane’s heat didn’t subside for three days.It was hard to explain to the pups why we were always locked away in her rooms together, not to mention the various sounds they overheard. After the first night we had Linda come and pick them up, trusting her to take care of them until the worst had passed. However pups are always aware of more than we realize, and I’m sure we didn’t fool them completely.At the height of my rut I reclaimed Jane the way I’ve been dreaming of doing from the moment she reappeared again. I sank my teeth into the scars of my old mark while her scorching heat enveloped my cock, and made her mine once more. It’s true that claiming marks are forever, but the bond always feels stronger the more often they’re reasserted, and I now feel more connected to Jane than I have in years.Of course, as she predicted, she retreated from me the moment we left the plush lovenest she created in her room, doing everything she could to keep me at a distance after the haze of
Eric stared down at Jane in abject shock, trying to process her words as he took in all the changes she’d manifested in a little under a week. She reeked of Ethan and his mark flared red around the curve of her neck. Her skin was glowing with health, and her cheeks were flushed with color. She was angrier than he had ever seen her, but he also immediately recognized that she hadn’t gotten through her heat on her own. Jealous anger flooded him, rising up to meet her own flaring temper, even though he knew he was in the wrong.Glancing down at the papers she was forcing against his hard chest, he pried them free of her clenching fingers and flipped through them, quickly putting together the pieces of the story. “So,” He mused aloud, “Ethan stopped rutting you long enough to have me investigated?”“Excuse me?” Jane snarled, “how dare you speak to me that way?”“I asked you if you needed relief, Jane.” He reminded her, “I offered to help you with anything you needed.”“Don’t try to change
Riley, Parker, Paisley and Ryder slipped into Eve’s old bedroom while Ethan scrubbed dishes after dinner. They were supposed to be brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed, but they knew their father would be distracted long enough for them to try and sneak in some investigating.In all honesty, their efforts had hit a few stumbling blocks in the last few days. As badly as they wanted to clear Jane’s good name, they couldn’t very well do that when they were staying at Linda’s. And even now that they were back home, the police had been through the apartment, so they assumed they wouldn’t find anything at all.Eve’s room was at the end of the hall next to Petra’s, and while the huge penthouse had so much space that they’d all managed to move in without clearing out any of the previously occupied rooms, they had to figure the adults had been through almost everything before them. Slipping into her former living space, they blinked around at the gaudy decor and tacky furnishings.“T
Ethan“What do you mean, this isn’t enough?” I growl, glaring at the investigator. I’ve just handed him everything we found in Eve’s safe, from her murder schemes to her personal legends detailing all the money she stole from the Atelier over the years. To my shock and absolute fury, the detective simply blinked and told me it was all circumstantial.“Sir, no one saw her writing this, we don’t know that it actually belongs to her.” He insists stubbornly.“Are you serious?” I demand. What I really want to ask is ‘do you even have a brain?’ or ‘how the hell did you get this job when you clearly aren’t intelligent enough to have made it through grade school.’ However I have a long history of playing the diplomat in the face of challenging people, so I restrain myself – though not without difficulty. “It’s practically a full confession, it was locked in a safe in her room and it’s in her handwriting. The perspective of events she describes makes it obvious she’s the author.”Shaking his
EthanThe commander’s words sink in slowly, but I keep my spirits high despite the bad news he’s delivering. Unlike the detective, I had the intelligence to think ahead. “Then I suppose it’s a good thing I made copies of every paper we found in Eve’s safe.” I muse aloud.“You made copies?” The commander responds excitedly.“Yes, I had a feeling about Detective Smithers, you see.” I share. In fact, I made three sets of copies and promptly hid them. I’d been so paranoid about the conspiracy that I even made sure to put them in different locations. Unlocking my office safe, I pull out the copy I brought to work. “I’m looking at them right now. If you send someone quickly, they might catch me before I leave for the day.”Before he even responds to me, I can hear the commander barking orders to a uniformed officer in the background. “You, get to the pack headquarters this instant, go straight to the Alpha. No stops on the way.” Once he finishes, his volume increases as he returns his mouth
EthanOver the years I’ve been in more fights than I can count, some more noble than others – some decidedly dumb. Either way, I’ve taken more than my fair share of punches, but I’ve never felt such a powerful gut punch as the one Jane just landed. I feel as though all the air has been stolen from my lungs, like I’ve forgotten how to breathe and won’t ever remember again.I expected my mate to be relieved that she was no longer in any danger of being arrested, I wanted her to be happy and excited like this – but not because it meant she could leave. I’d known she was planning on moving up her departure date, but I thought that was because she was afraid. I hoped that with things more settled and everyone safe and sound again, she’d reconsider. It’s not why I did it of course, but I can’t deny how disappointed I am to see her so overjoyed to go back to the Dark Moon pack.“What about the perfume launch?” I say blankly, taking a step back from her. “Things aren’t finished here.”Jane qu
JaneI’ve always thought I was a good mother, but right now I feel like absolute garbage. Ethan’s words are ringing in my mind like some relentless bell. I can’t stop hearing the way he described my efforts to reunite the pups. He was right – about everything. He was right about how thoughtless I was regarding the pups feelings, right about my determination to carry out my plan without ever stopping to consider if it still made sense, and right that I was letting fear rule me.Of course, the problem with recognizing your fear, is that it doesn’t just disappear once you know it’s there. It’s not like in a dream, where once you realize nothing that’s happening is real you can change the course of events or wake yourself up. The fear is only too real, and as badly as I want to cure it, that’s not the way humans work. I can’t just wish it away.This is why psychiatrists always blame the parents. I think to myself. Because this is what happens. We impose all our own damage and neuroses ont
JaneFour Months LaterEthan ushers the pups into my hospital room with a finger pressed to his lips. “Quietly now, Mommy’s very tired.”I’d gone into labor in the early hours of the morning, and the experience couldn’t have been more different than it had been with the quadruplets. Instead of suffering through the first contractions alone and afraid, I’d had my mate by my side, rubbing my back and crooning sympathetically as I gritted my teeth against the pain. After a few hours of pacing and fruitlessly trying to find a comfortable position, my water broke and we left for the hospital, leaving the pups with a sitter.I made it through fifteen hours of labor before caving and asking for an epidural, taking Ethan’s encouragement to save my strength for pushing when the time came. He never left my side the entire time, only stepping out of the room a couple of times to check in on the pups at my request. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthing partner – he lavished me with praise a
JaneWhen Ethan and I arrive back at the penthouse we find Devon and Nina sitting on the sofa while the pups zoom around the living room in front of them. Devon has an arm slung over Nina’s shoulder, which surprises me, but I can’t focus on them because the moment we walk through the door four little bodies come hurtling at our legs. “Mommy! Daddy!” The pups cry excitedly.Parker is the tallest and fastest, so he reaches us first, leaping up into Ethan’s waiting arms while I intercept Riley, whose small size lets her bound weightlessly across the room. “Hello my love puddles.” I greet them happily, kneeling so I can also hug Ryder, while Ethan effortlessly scoops up Paisley, even though his arms are already full with her brother. “What have you been up to? Were you good for Devon and Nina?” I ask, marveling at Ethan’s strength despite his recent recovery.“We were sooo good.” Riley confirms. “Nina was sad so we cuddled her.”“And then Devon told us we could get ice cream if we promi
JaneWhen I open my eyes, Ethan and I are still in the thermal pool. I can feel the water lapping and bubbling around me, but he’s no longer inside me, and when I look up it’s to find his dark gaze watching me intently. Gradually I realize he’s moved to the shallow end of the spring so he can sit on the submerged ledge and hold me in his lap. He rests one hand on my round belly, and our baby flutters inside me as if the tiny bean knows its father is near.“How long was I out?” I inquire softly, stretching and reveling in the delicious ache of my muscles. I’m filled with the lazy contentment of a well-loved mate, utterly drugged with pleasure that is only deepened by the sting of my claiming mark. I can feel the evidence of Ethan’s dominance in the swollen flesh between my legs, the bite marks on my breasts and faint bruises on my back and thighs. And right now I can’t imagine anything better than this… exc
3rd PersonNina’s heart sunk as she watched Ethan and Jane race out the door as their wolves, and she stepped forward to close the door out of mere reflex. When the panel clicked shut she found herself staring blankly at the dark wood, momentarily frozen in time. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t feel, she could only stand there and exist as this latest slight reverberated through her body.Only the sound of a small voice saying her name woke her from her miserable reverie, “Nina?”Slowly, as if in a trance, she turned. Blinking, her expression detached, she saw the pups watching her. Tiny feet padded over the floor in a miniature stampede, and then the four children were gathered around her, looking up at her with wrinkled brows. “Hmm?” She finally responded, unsure if they’d asked her a question or simply stopped at her name.“Are you okay?” Paisley inquired softly, genuine concern in h
Jane“Not want you?” Ethan snarls furiously, seeming angrier about that suggestion than my words about Devon. “Not want you? That has never been the problem!”His hands are so fierce on my body, and I can see a wild sort of desperation in his handsome features. His eyes are glowing and his fangs extended – I know his wolf is right on the edge.“Then show me.” I demand. Sliding my hand down between our flush bodies. “Let me feel your desire, Ethan.”“Why are you doing this?” He groans, burying his head in my neck.“Because you’re punishing yourself for something that isn’t your fault.” I murmur in reply, my lips brushing against his ear as I speak. “And it’s gone on long enough.”“But it is my fault, Janey. Everything I do backfires, every time I try to do the right thing for you, I fuck up.” He confesses, sounding so vulnerable I ache.“Then maybe you should stop trying to figure out the answer for me, and start working with me. Ask me what I want and give it to me, don’t try to do it
JaneEthan and I run through the quiet streets of the city as our wolves, not minding one bit that we’re on pavement and not in the forest. We bound around shopkeepers and early morning commuters without a care in the world, oblivious to the curious looks we’re drawing.I’ve always preferred running at night, but I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to convince Ethan to stop being so stubborn. When I saw him in his wolf form with our pups climbing all over him this morning, pure joy washed over me. I might not have known how Ethan has been
Ethan“You’re letting them stay?” Nina demands, glaring at me as she wears a hole in the floor, pacing back and forth with the indignant energy of a she-wolf scorned. Unsurprisingly, she was less than amused to learn I decided to allow Jane and the pups to stay with us – though in truth it hadn’t been much of a choice. My mischievous mate forced me between a rock and a hard place, and I wasn’t about to drag her out of the penthouse kicking and screaming.“I can’t just throw them out.&
JaneMy plan to sneak-move into the penthouse is working better than I imagined. Granted, I keep catching my pups practicing their maniacal laughs in the mirror, but in the grand scheme of things, encouraging their talents for mastermining dastardly plots isn’t the worst idea. After all, I want to encourage their ambition in whatever they do… even if it is taking over the world.Regardless of the burgeoning tricksters under my roof, everything else has gone fairly smoothly. I was able to hire last minute movers to pack up and bring everything from our apartment in the Dark Moon territory and transport it here. The only real challenge was maki
JaneEthan winces, then kisses me again, long and deep. When he pulls away, I feel tears in my eyes. I already know he hasn’t been swayed by my pleading. “I know it hurts right now, Jane.” He acknowledges, looking truly aggrieved. “It hurts me too. But one day you’ll see that I’m right.” His thumb brushes a stray tear from my cheek. “You were so much better off without me. You built a fragrance empire and raised three amazing pups all by yourself. But a few months with me and you were on my floor, begging to be a slave again.”“That wasn’t because I was with you, it was because I wasn&rsquo